By Ron Smith
March 9, 2019
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Baseball (17-2), ranked fifth in the NAIA, took both ends of a doubleheader from the Hustlin' Owls of Oregon Tech on Saturday afternoon at Russ Carr Field. The Warriors won the first game 5-1 before claiming the second game 9-1.
 
In the early game, Grant Gardner claimed his fifth win of the season against no losses. The senior right-hander went six innings, allowing one run on six hits. Gardner struck out three and walked two in the victory. Gardner lowered his season ERA to 2.43.
 
Westmont took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the season inning after Nick Sablock reached on an error. Sablock stole second before Isaiah Leach delivered an RBI-single to right field.
 
The Warrior lead didn't last long as the Hustlin' Owls tied the game at one in the top of the third. Cole Walter singled to lead off the inning and reached second on a wild pitch. A single by Kai Fong brought Walter home.
 
Westmont regained the lead with a run in the fourth inning to make it a 2-1 game. Luke Coffey led off with a walk, then advanced to third on a single to right center by Bryce Morison. One out later, Coffey scored on a sacrifice fly to center field that earned Leach his second RBI of the game.
 
Westmont reliever Kody McLain, who would pick up his third save of the season by pitching the final three innings without allowing a run, got out of a jam in the seventh to preserve the Warrior lead. With the bases loaded and one away. McLain coaxed a ground ball out of Tristan Shea that was fielded by Coffey at third. Coffey fired to Taylor Garcia at second for the first out, then relayed the ball to Alex Stufft at first to compete the inning-ending double play.
 
In the Warriors' half of the seventh, Westmont added an insurance run. Sablock walked and stole second before Leach was walked. Two outs later, Jeremiah Canada pinch ran for Sablock and advanced to third when Taylor Garcia was walked to load the bases. Tyler Roper picked up an RBI with a single to left that drove in Canada.
 
Westmont added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth to account for the rest of the scoring. Taylor Bush led off with an impressive bunt single and reached second on a groundout by Coffey. Morison then doubled to left, driving in Bush. Morison reached third on a passed ball and then scored an unearned run on a throwing error by the Owls' third baseman.
 
The second game took on an entirely different feel than the first when the Warriors jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. Garcia led off the bottom half of the opening frame with a walk and then advanced to second on a well-placed bunt single by Roper. That brought up Coffey who pounded his fifth home run of the season over the left field fence to make the score 3-0 before the Warriors had been charged with an out.
 
Morison followed with a single to right before Bush walked to put runners at first and second. Two outs later, after Morison had reached third, Travis Vander Molen pounded a two-RBI double to left center.
 
Oregon Tech scored its lone run in the top of the second when Austin Zavala doubled down the line to drive in Shea from second. Alex Malcom took third on the play and later tried to score when a pitch from Westmont starter Cory Dawson got away from him and past the Roper. However, the ball took a favorable Warrior bounce off the back padding and returned to Roper. The catcher tossed the ball to Dawson who was covering at the plate. Dawson tagged Malcom for the final out of the inning.
 
In the bottom of the second inning, Garcia reached on a double down the left field line and then took third on a groundout to second by Roper. Coffey also ground out to second, which allowed Garcia to score and earned Coffey his fourth RBI of the game.
 
In the bottom half of the fourth, Zach Mendez pounded a one-out double to left center. A single to right by Garcia advanced Mendez to third. Roper reached on a fielder's choice on when Mendez was thrown out at the plate. As a result, the Warriors had runners at first and second.
 
With two away and Paul Mezurashi serving as a courtesy runner at first, Westmont head coach Robert Ruiz called for a double steal that Garcia and Mezurashi executed successfully. Coffey then drove in both runners when he singled through the left side for his fifth and sixth RBIs of the game. Coffey now leads the Warriors with 25 runs batted in on the season.
 
Westmont's final run came in the fifth inning of play. Daniel Netz delivered a one-out, pinch-hit double to center and then reached third with Andrew Bayard recorded a pinch-hit single to left. A single by Vander Molen through the left side drove in Netz for the final run of the game.
 
Starter Cory Dawson (3-1) was awarded the win after pitching five innings. He allowed one run on four hits, struck out eight batters and allowed just one walk. Nolan Cannon pitched the sixth inning striking out three and walking one without surrendering a hit. Austin Sisley closed out the final inning of the day, allowing one hit and striking out one.
 
The two teams will play a doubleheader again tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 11:00 a.m.